SUTNY Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc (PK)

Stock Market Risks. The value of a company’s stock may rise or fall in response to company, market, economic or other news.

Foreign Investing Risks. Foreign stocks may underperform U.S. stocks and may be more volatile than U.S. stocks. Risks relating to investments in foreign securities (including, but not limited to, depositary receipts and participation certificates) include: currency exchange rate fluctuation; less available public information about the issuers of securities; less stringent regulatory standards; lack of uniform accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards; and country risks including less liquidity, high inflation rates, unfavorable economic practices; political instability and expropriation and nationalization risks.

Emerging Markets Risks. Investment risks typically are greater in emerging and less developed markets. For example, political and economic structures in these less developed countries may be new and changing rapidly, which may cause instability and greater risk of loss. Their securities markets may be less developed, and securities in those markets are generally more volatile and less liquid than those in the developed markets. Emerging market countries also are more likely to experience high levels of inflation, deflation or currency devaluations, which could hurt their economies and securities markets. Certain emerging markets also may face other significant internal or external risks, including a heightened risk of war or ethnic, religious or racial conflicts. In addition, governments in many emerging market countries participate to a significant degree in their economies and securities markets, which may impair investment and economic growth of companies in those markets. Such markets may also be heavily reliant on foreign capital and, therefore, vulnerable to capital flight.

Currency Risks. Foreign securities usually are denominated and traded in foreign currencies, while the Fund values its assets in U.S. dollars, the values of a Fund’s non-U.S. investments will be affected favorably or unfavorably by changes in currency exchange rates relative to the U.S. dollar. The Fund usually does not hedge against possible variations in exchange rates, but, in limited circumstances, the Fund’s exposure to a particular currency that Artisan believes is overvalued may be hedged if the Fund has positions in securities traded in that currency.

Small and Medium-Sized Company Risks. Stocks of small and medium-sized companies tend to be more volatile and less liquid than stocks of large companies. Compared to large companies, small and medium-sized companies typically may have analyst coverage by fewer brokerage firms – meaning they may trade at prices that reflect incomplete or inaccurate information. Small companies may have a shorter history of operations, less access to financing, and a less diversified product line – making them more susceptible to market pressures and more likely to have a volatile stock price. During some periods, stocks of small and medium-sized companies, as an asset class, have underperformed the stocks of larger companies.

Value Investing Risks. Value stocks may fall out of favor with investors and underperform other asset types during given periods. The price of a company’s stock may never reach the level Artisan considers its intrinsic value.

Risks of Emphasizing a Region, Country, Sector or Industry. If the Fund has invested a higher percentage of its total assets in a particular region, country, sector or industry, changes affecting that region, country, sector or industry may have a significant impact on the performance of the Fund’s overall portfolio.

Participation Certificates Risks. Investing in a participation certificate subjects the Fund to the risks associated with an investment in the underlying equity security and also exposes the Fund to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the bank or broker-dealer that issues the certificate will not fulfill its contractual obligation to timely pay the Fund the amount owed under the certificate.

Debt Securities Risks. The value of a debt security changes in response to various factors, including, for example, market-related factors, such as changes in interest rates or changes in the actual or perceived ability of an issuer to meet its obligations. In general, the value of a debt security may fall in response to increases in interest rates. The Fund may invest in debt securities without considering the maturity of the instrument. The value of a security with a longer duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a similar security with a shorter duration. As a result, changes in interest rates in the U.S. and outside the U.S. may affect the Fund’s debt investments unfavorably.

Convertible Securities Risks . Investing in convertible securities subjects the Fund to the risks associated with an investment in the underlying equity security. Convertible securities are frequently issued with a call feature that allows the issuer to choose when to redeem the security, which could result in the Fund being forced to redeem, convert, or sell the convertible security under circumstances unfavorable to the Fund. In addition, if the value of the equity security underlying the convertible security declines enough, the convertible security is more likely to be valued as a debt security.

Impact of Actions by Other Shareholders. The Fund, like all mutual funds, pools the investments of many investors. Actions by one investor or multiple investors may have an effect on the Fund and on other investors. For example, shareholder purchase and redemption activity may affect the per share amount of the Fund’s distributions of its net income and net realized gains, if any, thereby increasing or reducing the tax burden on the Fund’s shareholders subject to income tax who receive Fund distributions.